Given the well-known fragility of semiconductor substrates, it is imperative that all necessary steps be taken to protect them against damage from incidental or accidental bumps and/or impacts. For example, although substrates are commonly stored in substrate carriers for protection during storage or while in transit to substrate processing stations, it is desirable to reduce the risk of substrate carriers being bumped or struck, so as to prevent shifting, sliding or dislodgment of the in-process substrates they contain.
Substrate carriers are often moved through relatively long distances within a manufacturing facility, e.g., from remote storage to a substrate processing station, or between processing stations. For this purpose, substrate carriers may be loaded onto well-controlled substrate carrier transport systems adapted to quickly traverse those distances, and navigate paths which may include one or more turns, so as to deliver the substrate carriers to their next destination safely. Nevertheless, an opportunity for transmitting shock and vibration energy to in-process substrates through the substrate carriers that contain them exists in the processes used to pick and place substrate carriers onto and off of such transport systems.
Accordingly, effective methods and apparatus are needed to minimize the potential for damage to stored substrates when substrate carriers are loaded onto and unloaded from substrate carrier transport systems.